


Caught Up In a Dream

by lovetheblazer



Series: The Fantasy Verse [2]
Category: Glee RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-22
Updated: 2014-02-22
Packaged: 2018-01-13 09:05:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1220509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovetheblazer/pseuds/lovetheblazer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>alittledizzy prompted: non-celeb Darren visiting Chris on the Glee set. Part of the Fantasy 'verse (AU where Chris is famous & Darren is the civilian he first met on Hollywood Game Night.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Caught Up In a Dream

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dumbhuman](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dumbhuman/gifts).



> There are a few minor Glee spoilers for New New York in this fic. For Sarah – Happy Birthday, sweetheart!

Darren's episode of Hollywood Game Night aired on a Monday evening. He expected to get a few calls from friends, maybe a couple of Facebook messages, but he was utterly unprepared for the response he got. Besides the whole "whoa man, you were on TV!" and "so since you won, can I borrow a few bucks" joking responses, the common theme was "wow, you and that Chris guy were amazing together." It wasn't surprising, but given that he'd spent the last three weeks having undercover dates (and even a few sleepovers) with Chris, it cut a little close to home. Chris had made it clear from their second date that he wanted to keep their relationship private for the time being, although he was quick to clarify that he wasn't embarrassed of Darren. On the contrary, he was protective of Darren and their budding relationship. He'd explained that more than one of his relationships had ended due to a regular guy not being able to handle the pressure of dating a celebrity. Chris didn't want that to happen this time. Neither did Darren.

So Darren tried his best to be understanding and patient. He'd only had fleeting brushes with fame as the star of the Starkid musical that went viral, which was nothing like what Chris experienced on a daily basis. He knew internet fame was far different than being one of the most popular and recognizable characters of a hit television show. Three weeks in and Darren still felt a bit starstruck around Chris. He would do anything to protect what they had together, even if it meant that their date nights were mostly reduced to takeout, movies on Chris' couch, and sex. There was no doubt in Darren's mind that he was still getting a ridiculously good deal.

* * *

 

Tuesday night, Chris called Darren as he left set. "Hi," he answered with a giant smile on his face. He'd been a grinning idiot since the moment they met and he simply couldn't find it in him to care.

"Hey you," Chris said in the low, tender voice. "So, I got released from shooting pretty early tonight."

"I noticed. I think we can put those hours to good use, don't you?" Darren practically purred.

"It's like you're reading my mind," Chris chuckled. "Come over?"

"I'm on my way. Want me to pick up dinner or anything?"

"Nah, that's okay. I'll just order something. Thai okay?"

"Perfect."

"I'm going to shower once I get home,” Chris continued. Darren let his head thump back against the couch, closing his eyes and allowing himself an indulgent minute with that visual. "I need to scrub all the makeup off from filming today so I probably won't be out before you get here. I'll leave a key under the mat, so you can just let yourself in, okay?"

"Why Christopher Paul Colfer, is that even safe? Darren teased. "Who knows what kind of crazy, obsessed fans might sneak in."

"You're a fan and I'm pretty sure you're obsessed with me so...I'll take my chances," Chris laughed. “See you soon?"

"Can't wait."

* * *

Darren arrived on schedule about twenty minutes later. He found the key under the mat as promised and let himself into Chris' palatial house. He toed off his shoes in the entry way, knowing how obsessive Chris was about keeping the carpets clean. He sat down on the couch, giving Brian a quick scratch behind the ears. There was a bottle of wine, two wine glasses, and a corkscrew sitting on the coffee table. Stuck to the bottle of wine was a pink post-it note that read "help yourself." Darren didn't need to be told twice.

He looked around for the television remote, thinking he might watch Sports Center while he waited for Chris. While he was still searching, he heard the faint sounds of singing coming from the end of the hall. Darren had never heard Chris sing anywhere besides on his television, so he crept down the hall stealthily, until he could just make out the melody and Chris' soaring voice over the sounds of running water.

_Touching you, touching me_  
 _touching you, god you're touching me_

Darren joined in on the chorus, rolling his eyes a little as he realizes that Chris' voice was much better suited to hitting the high notes in this song than his was.

_I believe in a thing called love_  
 _Just listen to the rhythm of my heart_  
 _There's a chance we could make it now_  
 _We'll be rocking 'til the sun goes down_  
 _I believe in a thing called love_

Suddenly, Darren heard the water switch off and Chris stopped singing. "Shit," he murmured under his breath, pulling his knees to his chin, hunched in the corner of the hallway with his back against the wall.

"Seriously, Darren?" Chris called from the bathroom, door still closed. "I give you a key to get into the house and you reward me with spying on me in the shower?"

Darren stayed silent for a moment, hoping that Chris would think he was gone or couldn't hear him.

"I know you're out there, Darren. You're totally busted," Chris yelled a second later.

"Fine," Darren huffed. "But I'll have you know that there was no stalking or peeping. I just thought you might want a duet partner?"

"Oh my god, you're so ridiculous," Chris laughed. Before Darren could respond, the door swung open, revealing a blushing Chris with a towel slung low around his waist. His skin was pink and shining and droplets of water clung to the muscled planes of his chest and arms.

"Oh fuck," Darren groaned, shamelessly ogling Chris' exposed skin. He staggered to feet, eyes still locked on Chris. "Hi," he finally managed, dizzy with sudden want.

"Hi creeper," Chris muttered without any heat behind it. "Having fun?"

"I am now," Darren grinned.

"I'm going to get dressed."

"Killjoy," Darren pouted. "It's not like I haven't see you naked before."

"Yes, but I'm starving and we need food first. It'll be a little awkward to have food delivered in the nude,” Chris teased, padding down the hallway towards his bedroom. “Go pour me some wine and I'll meet you out there in a second, okay?"

"Fine."

* * *

An hour later, the coffee table was littered with takeout boxes and they were both stuffed, each sipping on a second glass of wine. Darren's feet were tucked up under him on the couch with his head resting lightly on Chris' shoulder.

"So what do you want to watch?" Chris asked. "Did you pick a movie while I was showering or were you too busy being creepy?"

Darren ignored the question in favor of nuzzling his lips into the curve of where Chris' neck and shoulder met. "You smell so good," Darren moaned, smiling against bare skin as he felt Chris shiver.

"That didn't exactly answer my question," Chris chuckled, but made no attempt to move.

"Oh shit, what time is it!" Darren exclaimed suddenly, head snapping up.

Chris frowned. "Just after 8:30, why? Got somewhere to be?”

"No, but we're missing Glee! There's a new episode tonight, right?"

"Are you serious?" Chris groaned. "You don't need to watch it, I already sang for you once tonight, after all."

"I'm dead serious," Darren said. "I never joke about Glee. Did you DVR it?"

"Yeah, I always set it to record, even though I rarely watch it."

"Why wouldn't you? You don't even like your own show?" Darren was horrified.

"No, of course I like it. I just get really self-conscious watching myself and I read the scripts ahead of time so I already know what's going to happen," Chris shrugged.

"But the last episode ended on a cliffhanger and I've been dying to know what happens and it's been off the air for almost six weeks," Darren babbled. "I didn't even think to set it to record before I left my place. Please?"

"Oh alright," Chris sighed, digging the remote out of a small decorative box on the side table. "But you better make it worth my while later."

"It's a promise," Darren whispered into Chris' ear.

* * *

"So I got a lot of questions about you on set today," Chris announced as he fast forwarded through the commercials with the DVR remote.

"Oh yeah?" Darren asked with a grin, resting his chin on his hands. "What kind of questions?"

"Well, Jane saw us leave together after we taped your episode of Hollywood Game Night and wanted to know if we hung out.”

“And what did you say?” Darren prompted.

“I told her the truth – that you _begged_ to take me to dinner as a treat and I agreed begrudgingly.”

“Begrudgingly? Hey now, I didn't exactly kidnap you and I seem to remember you being plenty willing,” Darren chided. “But you said 'a lot of questions' so I'm assuming there were more?”

“Lea watched the episode and told me that she was pretty sure that 'the cute curly-haired boy with the heart eyes was totally in love with me and I should take him out for drinks immediately' and I quote.”

“Lea Michele called me cute?” Darren sputtered. “Oh my god.”

“Maybe you'd rather she take you out for drinks?” Chris teased with raised eyebrows.

“Nope sorry, I'm afraid I'm already taken,” Darren replied, grabbing Chris' free hand and lacing their fingers together. “Please, continue,” he gestured.

Chris hit pause with the remote. “I thought you wanted to watch Glee?”

“It can wait a few minutes,” Darren said with an exaggerated sigh. “I'm quite enjoying hearing about how the Glee cast knows who I am. It's a quite a vivid fantasy, I have to admit.”

“But I'm still your favorite, right?” Chris practically growled, a slight edge of possessiveness in his voice.

“Do you even need to ask?” Darren asked. “Of course you are.” He leaned forward, tugging Chris to him for a slow, sweet kiss. “You're the only one I want to kiss, after all,” he whispered against Chris' lips.

“Excellent, let's keep it that way, okay? I'm not down with sharing my boyfriends, despite what US Weekly magazine might have led you to believe.”

“Good to know,” Darren smiled, his cheeks flushed with pleasure.

“Aside from that, I think Kevin, Jenna, and Naya all commented that you and I made a really good team and that I should totally tap that.”

“I'm assuming you told them you already have, right?” Darren teased.

“Not exactly... But I may have told them I was thinking about giving you a set tour as a little token of my gratitude for helping me win that money for charity? Assuming you're interested, that is...”

“Wait seriously? You want me to come visit you on set?” Darren gaped.

“...only if you want to,” Chris replied, trying for casual. But Darren could see a tinge of hesitation and maybe even fear hiding behind a tentative smile.

“Are you kidding me? I'd love to,” Darren reassured, throwing his arms around Chris' neck and hugging him tightly. “When?” he asked.

“Thursday afternoon, if you're free?”

“For you? I've got all the time in the world...”

* * *

Two days later, Darren pulled up on the Paramount lot, heart hammering with a dizzying blend of anxiety and excitement. He parked in a vacant spot and climbed out of his beat up car, waiting patiently for Chris to meet him and walk him onto set. In the meantime, he bent down, smoothing his hair one final time with a little help from the side-view mirror.

When he looked up again, Chris was driving towards him in a golf cart and his heart started fluttering for a whole different reason. Chris' was wearing a sleeveless black top and extremely tight black leather pants. His hair was spiked up and traces of black kohl eyeliner completed the rock and roll look. Darren's mouth went dry and he had to remind himself to keep breathing at how good Chris looked.

Darren shook his head, trying to force his brain to focus on something other than Chris' body. There was too much at stake today for him to make a complete fool of himself, even if all he really wanted to do was push Chris into the nearest trailer or broom closet and screw him senseless. So he decided to fake it for now, plastering an innocent smile on his face as he jogged over to meet Chris.

“Hi,” Chris beamed at him. “Want a ride?”

“Of course,” Darren said, climbing in beside him and trying not to stare.

“So, are you excited?”

“I...no, I mean, yes? Fuck, what was the question, again?” Darren said distractedly, eyes glued to Chris' exposed chest and the subtle shimmer of body glitter he could see along the hollow of his throat and collarbones.

“Are you okay? You're looking at me weirdly...” Chris said with a nearly straight face, although Darren could see one corner of his mouth quirk up slightly.

“I was going to play it totally cool, but then you show up wearing that and...fuck.”

“Why do you think I wanted you to come on Thursday?” Chris taunted with a raised eyebrow. “Want to see my trailer?”

“Oh god yes,” Darren groaned.

* * *

They'd only had time for a frantic 15 minutes of making out before Chris was needed on set to start filming. Darren just tried to hold on, letting Chris lead the kissing, letting his use his body in any and every way he wanted. Needless to say, he was more than a little worked up by the time they broke apart. Chris sauntered off to the bathroom to check his makeup and Darren couldn't help the quiet keening noise that escaped him at the view of the things the impossibly tight leather pants were doing for Chris' ass. He wasn't sure if he would survive the set visit at this rate.

Thankfully, Darren was feeling significantly better by the time they pulled up at the soundstage that housed Kurt's New York loft apartment. Chris quickly introduced him to a few of the cast and crew members milling about, before walking him over to the craft services table and directing him to sit down next to Lea.

“I've got to go film for a bit, but I'll be back, okay?” Chris said, eyeing Lea warily as if he expected her to pounce at any moment. “Are you going to be okay hanging out with Lea for a bit?”

“He'll be _fine_ ,” Lea said with an exaggerated eye roll. “I won't bite.”

“You better not,” Chris muttered, shooting her an unreadable look.

“I'm good, Chris. Have fun!” Darren reassured.

“So,” Lea said, the second Chris was out of earshot, “Darren Criss, what's your story?”

“Story?” Darren asked, trying not to panic.

“Yeah, obviously you met Chris on Jane's show. But tell me about yourself? Are you straight? Single? How old are you?” Lea asked, leaning forward, hyper-focused on every word he had to say.

“I'm twenty-seven, gay, and single, yeah,” Darren answered nervously. He felt a little weird about saying he was single. He and Chris had talked about it a little bit, and basically decided that Darren would do his best to keep a low profile on set to make sure a random crew member didn't leak anything about him or tip off the paparazzi. But Chris reassured Darren that he trusted his cast mates, so he was under no obligation to lie to them directly if he didn't want to. Single wasn't the whole truth, but Lea was a little scary up close and in person and Darren was trying to stick to one word answers for the time being (at least until he got more comfortable).

“That's great!” she clapped excitedly. “Do you like Chris? It seemed like you did on the show.”

“I...yeah, he's really nice. We had a good time,” Darren managed.

“But like, do you have a crush on him?” Lea pressed on, undeterred. “It's okay, you can totally tell me. I've totally had a crush on him before and he doesn't even play for my team.”

This was something Darren could have a little bit more fun with, he decided. He leaned forward, looking at her very seriously. “Okay, promise you won't tell?” he whispered.

“I swear,” she nodded, eyes wide.

“I totally have a crush on him. I could barely breathe when I saw him in that costume,” Darren said, conveniently leaving out the part where they made out in Chris' trailer for twenty minutes.

“I knew it!” Lea exclaimed triumphantly. “I think he might like you too. You should totally ask him to get a drink or dinner with you when you leave this afternoon.” Darren tried not to snicker as he watched Chris storm towards her, shaking his head.

“I don't know,” Darren sighed, feigning indecision. Before he could say more, Chris came up behind Lea, tapping her shoulder.

She whirled to face Chris. “Hey!” she greeted him, all innocence. “We were just chatting about you.”

“Oh my god, Lea - we're already dating, okay? Thanks for the help, but I actually do pretty well without your matchmaking,” Chris spit out in a hushed tone.

“What?” she gasped, turning to peer at Darren to see if Chris was telling the truth. “Seriously? Why did you say you're single then?”

“Go easy on him. That was my idea. I just didn't want to risk someone on set hearing and leaking it to the paparazzi.” Chris looked over to see a crew member gesturing for him. “Crap, I've got to go. I don't care if our core group knows. Just try to keep it quiet if you can, okay Lea?”

“I promise, hon. Your secret's safe with me,” she swore.

“Well now,” Lea said, turning back to Darren, looking expectant. “I think it's time you and I got to know each other better, don't you?”

* * *

“Okay, so I'm going to introduce you to Chord now because I've got to get ready for my next scene,” Lea said half an hour later, after she'd finished grilling Darren (thankfully, he'd passed with flying colors). He wasn't complaining at all about getting to meet the second hottest guy on set (after Chris, naturally). But even more than that, Chord seemed like a fairly laid back guy from the handful of interviews he'd seen and he was exhausted after the inquisition Lea had put him through. It was perfect timing.

“Hey Chord,” Lea called, knocking on the door. “Are you decent in there?”

“Yeah, I'm good. Come on in,” he replied.

“Hey, I've got to get into hair and makeup so Darren's going to hang out with you for a bit, okay?”

“Cool,” Chord said casually, rising from the couch and extending a hand for Darren to shake. “Hey man, I'm Chord. Nice to meet you.”

“Chord, this is Chris' boyfriend,” Lea informed him, anticipating his reaction.

“Wait, as in our Chris?” Chord asked.

“Isn't he my Chris technically?” Darren couldn't help but joke. “Boyfriend privileges and all that.”

Chord looked him up and down for a second before bursting into a fit of laughter. “Well played, dude,” he said appreciatively, giving Darren a high five. Lea just stared at the two of them like they'd suddenly each grown a second head.

“You two have fun,” was all she said and was gone with a quick wave.

“So how'd you two meet?” Chord asked, gesturing to Darren to have a seat on the couch.

“Uhh, I was on Chris' team f-”

“Oh, you were on Hollywood Game Night!” Chord interrupted before Darren could finish. “I knew I recognized you from somewhere.”

“Yeah, that's me,” Darren smiled.

“So how long have you been dating?” Darren frowned, confused. “Like I know since you met on the show but when did the episode film?”

“Oh, about three weeks ago.”

“Cool, so are you a big Glee fan?” Chord asked. “You can totally tell me if you aren't. I won't be offended,” he added.

“No, I totally am – I have been since Season 1, so this is so surreal. Is it cool if I nerd out on you a little, man?” Darren asked, feeling strangely at ease with Chord.

“Yeah, go for it. Do you play Halo?” Chord asked. “That's what I was doing when you knocked.”

“Of course, I love video games,” Darren grinned, accepting a video game controller from Chord.

“Stick to the assault rifle and I'll take sniper,” Chord gestured at the screen. “Just try not to get us killed and you can ask me all the nerdy Glee questions you want.”

* * *

Thirty minutes later and Darren had managed to pry plenty of useful information out of Chord. He'd found out that Chris was currently filming a duet with Adam Lambert, hence the extreme rocker look. Darren was waiting outside while Chord changed into his wardrobe and then they were going to watch Chris film. The thought of his sex god boyfriend in tight leather and eyeliner singing some rock ballad was enough to make Darren feel weak in the knees.

“Hey okay, let's go,” Chord said a minute later, bounding out of his trailer. Darren let himself be lead to the correct soundstage, trying to breathe in every bit of the atmosphere.There was a completely different vibe compared to the theater world he was used to.

“Wait up!” came a voice from behind them and Darren turned to see Jenna and Kevin jogging to catch up to them.

“Hey guys, this is Darren,” Chord introduced him. “Darren is Chris' new boyfriend.”

“No shit?” Kevin asked. “Oh yeah, you're the Hollywood Game Night guy.”

“It's great to meet you,” Jenna said, giving Darren a hug.

“Oh score!” Kevin cheered out of nowhere.

“What?” Chord asked, frowning.

“I just realized I won the bet about Chris' new relationship. Lea owes me $100 now.”

Darren chuckled as Kevin began to dance in celebration, marveling at how easily they'd all accepted him thus far. He'd expected to feel very separate from the cast as if there was some obvious dividing line between celebrities and regular guys like himself. But so far, everyone had been incredibly friendly and sweet. It seemed as if they'd all made the collective decision that if Chris had chosen to date him, he was automatically vouched for. He just hoped he'd live up to their expectations. He had asked Chord an awful lot of random trivia questions about the show (and accidentally referred to himself as Gleek once, he remembered with a cringe).

“Okay, see those chairs over there near the monitor?” Jenna asked, gesturing to the far end of the sound stage. “You can sit there. You'll be able to see what they're filming but you should be out of the camera's eye line. Just make sure you turn off your cell phone before you go in, okay?”

Darren nodded nervously. His palms began to sweat a little as he imagined all the various ways he could embarrass himself (or worse, Chris).

Jenna smiled patiently, sensing Darren's anxiety. “It'll be fine, I promise. Want me to walk you in and show you where to go?”

“Yes please, if it's not too much to ask?” Darren croaked out.

“I was really nervous my first time on set. I totally understand.”

Darren followed Jenna to his seat without incident. They were blocking and lighting the scene, so thankfully everyone's attention was focused elsewhere. He watched Chris in his element, so completely comfortable in the environment. He chatted animatedly with the director before walking back to his starting spot with Adam.

The director called quiet on the set and then they started the filming. Darren was mesmerized as Chris' posture and entire body language changed as he transformed into Kurt. There were a couple of lines of dialogue and then the music began to play. Chris lip-synced along with his vocal while performing complicated choreography effortlessly and Darren was _mesmerized_.

* * *

“You're friends are really nice,” Darren said, linking arms with Chris as they walked to his car a few hours later once he'd been released from filming.

“Yeah, they're awesome...at least 95% of the time.” Chris rolled his eyes fondly.

“This is the part where you're supposed to tell me how awesome they thought I was too.”

“Oh my god, are you actually that insecure?” Chris laughed, although not meanly.

“Duh, thought you figured that out by now.” Darren took a breath before continuing. “I kinda have a tendency to come on strong though. Hopefully I didn't weird them out too much?” Darren bit his lip, kicking loose gravel with the toe of his sneaker.

“I'm sure they loved you,” Chris said softly, squeezing Darren's arm. “I didn't really have a chance to ask, but I'll get their reviews tomorrow and I'm willing to bet they'll be glowing.” Chris planted a quick kiss on Darren's cheek. “And more importantly, I like you.”

Darren looked up, grinning widely. “You do?”

“Of course I do, idiot.”

“Good, because I like you a lot.”

“Even when I'm not all done up in the leather pants and rockstar makeup?” Chris teased.

Darren blushed, remembering how incredibly hot it had been to watch Chris perform on set. “I'm willing to bet you've got at least one rockstar outfit in that giant closet of yours.”

“Guess we'll find out soon enough,” Chris winked. “Race you home?”

“It's a date.”


End file.
